16 September 2025 (Tuesday) / Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs on Tuesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time / Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

16 September 2025 (Tuesday)

Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs on Tuesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time.

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: First Timothy 3: 1-13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 101: 1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6
Alleluia: Luke 7: 16
Gospel: Luke 7: 11-17

First Reading : 1 Timothy 3:1‐13

Here is a saying that you can rely on: To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do a noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot‐tempered, but kind and peaceable. He must not be a lover of money. He must be a man who manages his own family well and brings his children up to obey him and be well‐behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God? He should not be a new convert, in case pride might turn his head and then he might be condemned as the devil was condemned. It is also necessary that people outside the Church should speak well of him, so that he never gets a bad reputation and falls into the devil’s trap. In the same way, deacons must be respectable men whose word can be trusted, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money. They must be conscientious believers in the mystery of the faith. They are to be examined first, and only admitted to serve as deacons if there is nothing against them. In the same way, the women must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable. Deacons must not have been married more than once, and must be men who manage their children and families well. Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and be rewarded with great assurance in their work for the faith in Christ Jesus.

Responsive Psalm : Psalm 100(101):1‐3,5,6

I will walk with blameless heart.

My song is of mercy and justice; I sing to you, O Lord. I will walk in the way of perfection. O when, Lord, will you come?

I will walk with blameless heart.

I will walk with blameless heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes whatever is base.

I will walk with blameless heart.

The man who slanders his neighbour in secret I will bring to silence. The man of proud looks and haughty heart I will never endure.

I will walk with blameless heart.

I look to the faithful in the land that they may dwell with me. He who walks in the way of perfection shall be my friend.

I will walk with blameless heart.

Gospel : Luke 7:11‐17

Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.

For our reflection today:

“Compassion is a sentiment that gets involved, it is a sentiment of the heart, of the viscera, it involves the whole person. It’s not the same as “pain,” or of [saying] “How sad, poor people!”: No, it’s not the same. Compassion gets involved. It is “suffering with.” This is compassion. The Lord is involved in the lives of a widow, of an orphan. “But say there” [people might say]… You have a whole crowd here, why don’t you talk to the crowd? Leave them… Life is like that… Those are tragedies that just happen…” No. For Him, that widow and that dead orphan were more important than the crowds He was speaking to and that were following Him. The Lord, with His compassion, was involved in this case. He had compassion.” Drawing near is touching the reality. Touching. Not looking at it from a distance. He had compassion—the first word. He drew near—the second word. Then He performs the miracle. Jesus does not say, ‘So long, I’m continuing on my way.’ No. He takes the child, and what does it say? ‘He restored him to his mother.’ To restore: the third word. Jesus performs miracles to restore, to return people to their proper place. And that is what He did with the redemption. He had compassion—God had compassion—He drew near to us in His Son, and He restored all of us to the dignity of children of God. He has re-created all of us.” (Pope Francis, Santa Marta, 19 September 2017)

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed  and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)